Our five steps can help you build a successful plan to manage fodder shortages and our information on alternative fibre sources can help you choose other sources when fodder availability is reduced.

Managing fodder shortages

High demand and successive years of low production has created a fodder supply shortage, creating headaches for farmers sourcing feed.

When fodder availability, or more precisely long fibre, is reduced, you may be tempted to buy whatever feed is available. While there are numerous fodder sources suitable for dairy stock, they vary in nutritive value, digestibility, effective fibre value, and may present risks such as ruminal acidosis, mycotoxins and chemical residues (e.g. care is need when using by-products such as grape marc).

Planning for what lies ahead is one of the most important skills a successful dairy farmer can have. This includes preparing for lean years.

If you don't have an effective strategy to manage fodder shortages, Dairy Australia has put together the following five steps to help you deal with future shortages which you can view further down this page:

Alternative fibre sources

When you have limited pasture and reduced fodder supplies, you might need to consider using alternative fibre options some of which you might not have used before.

Many alternative fibre sources are suitable for feeding to dairy stock provided they are supplemented with high-energy feeds and protein sources as part of a balanced diet.

These vary widely in nutritive value, digestibility, effective fibre value, and may present risks such as ruminal acidosis, mycotoxins and chemical residues. So you need to be informed before you go ahead.

What is fibre?

Fibre is an essential ingredient in the diets of ruminant animals such as dairy cattle. It supplies energy, maintains normal, healthy rumen function, and in cows is utilised to produce milk fat.

How is fibre measured?

The most commonly used chemical measure of the fibre content of a feed or a diet is Neutral Detergent Fibre (NDF).

What is effective fibre value?

The "effective fibre value" of a feed or diet refers to the ability of a feed to stimulate chewing activity and production of saliva. Saliva contains buffers, which maintain the cow's ruminal pH in the right range for growing rumen microbes between 6.2 and 6.6.

If there is not enough long or "effective" fibre, there will not be enough chewing during eating and ruminating, and therefore not enough saliva produced. This can lead to a drop in ruminal pH and risk of ruminal acidosis.

More information

Fibre is an essential ingredient in the diets of ruminant animals such as dairy cattle. It supplies energy, maintains normal, healthy rumen function, and in cows is utilised to produce milk fat.

The most commonly used chemical measure of the fibre content of a feed or a diet is Neutral Detergent Fibre (NDF).
The "effective fibre value" of a feed or a diet is also critical. It refers to the ability of a feed to stimulate chewing activity and production of saliva, which contains buffers, which maintain the cow's ruminal pH in the optimal range for growth of rumen microbes between 6.2 and 6.6.

If there is not enough long or "effective" fibre, there will not be enough chewing during eating and ruminating, and therefore not enough saliva produced, leading to a drop in ruminal pH and increased risk of ruminal acidosis.

Cattle can suffer from two forms of ruminal acidosis:

Sub-acute ruminal acidosis (SARA), where the ruminal pH is in the range 6 to 5.5. (Cows may not appear sick, but some will be off feed, have mild milk fat depression and be scouring).

"Lactic acidosis where the ruminal pH is below 5.5, will be noticeably sick. (Many cows will be off their feed, down in their milk, lame and scouring. This may then progress to downer cow syndrome and death).

NDF intake should ideally be about 35 to 40% of total daily dry matter intake, with 75% of the fibre sources in the diet having a fibre length greater than 1.5 cm.

Grape marc benefits and risks

Grape marc can be a valuable source of supplementary nutrition for dairy cows. Victorian Government research has linked the feeding of stems, seeds and skins from wine grapes with potential impacts on methane reduction and milk production. But it can come with risks, which you need to fully understand and manage.

A by-product of the wine industry, grape marc is made up of skins and seeds. It may also contain residues of agricultural chemicals such as pest and fungal control sprays. Feeding contaminated grape marc to dairy cows then risks the residues being transferred into the milk.

Like all sources of purchased stock feed, you should verify the feed's suitability by getting vendor declarations or buying from a FeedSafe® accredited stock feed supplier.

If you can't verify the chemical residue status of a feed and/or can't get a commodity vendor declaration, the best practice is to avoid using it as stock feed.

More information

As a by- product of the wine industry, grape marc, made up of skins and seeds presents a risk of containing residues of agricultural chemicals. This is due to the use of sprays in the vineyards to control pests and fungal diseases on the grapes. The feeding of contaminated grape marc to dairy cows in turn presents a risk of the residues being transferred into the milk (and meat) supply.

Raw or unprocessed grape marc is considered to present a particularly high residue risk. Grape marc supplied through reputable feed companies will be processed using steam distillation which not only removes excess alcohol and tartaric acid, but is known to reduce (but not remove) the concentration of chemical resides in the grape marc.

Many alternative fibre sources are suitable for feeding to dairy stock provided they are supplemented with high energy feeds and protein sources as part of a balanced diet. They vary widely in nutritive value, digestibility, effective fibre value, and may present risks such as ruminal acidosis, mycotoxins and
chemical residues.

Diet formulation - key considerations

Meeting cows daily energy and protein requirements for target milk production level within their appetite limit

Feed additives are for prevention, not treatment. You miss out on the benefits if the additive dose rates in your feed aren't right for your daily per cow feeding rate. Find out the facts and recommended feeding rates of additives.

More information

Your equipment should help you achieve a higher Milk Income less Purchased Feed Cost, but any purchases could increase your finance and capital costs. Getting the balance right means understanding the capability of different mixing and delivery systems.

Visual check for early detection of rumen problems

More information

A stable rumen environment is important to reducing the risk of acidosis and allowing cows to produce milk well. Regular observations are valuable if you pay attention to the details, record the information and are ready to act when changes occur.

Managing effluent

More information

Having a Flexible Feeding System will mean more cows in a smaller area for a longer period of time each day than in a pasture-based system. This pdf helps you put into place an effective system for handling solid and liquid effluent.

Initiatives

Dairy Feed Tools is a complete feed management toolset for dairy farmers and managers. Feed planning, cost and resource management backed by Australian feed and pasture data to most accurately reflect the needs of your herd